The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003–04 National Basketball Association season.

This Finals was contested between the Eastern Conference’s Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Convention; the Lakers held home court advantage. The show was played under a best-of-seven format.
Though the Lakers, headed by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, were believed the heavy favorites, the Pistons conveniently won the series in five games. This win marked the Pistons’ fifth win overall as its first title since the 1990-1991 NBA period; almost fifteen years in addition to a franchise. The show featured the underdog Pistons, dominating a Lakers team composed of four Hall of Famers.
Pistons’ owner William Davidson became the first owner in American sports history to win two championships in 1 calendar year; eight days earlier, the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League had won the Stanley Cup Finals in seven games over the Calgary Flames.
The Lakers had won three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002, but lost to the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals at 2003 to end their streak at three. The Spurs beat the Lakers in 6 matches.
In the 2003 offseason, changes were made by the Lakers, with initially varying consequences. Hoping to find a point guard and a power forward to defend against Tim Duncan and the Spurs, the Lakers signed veteran stars Gary Payton and Karl Malone for well below market value; they also hoped to provide both veterans their first championship ring. The Lakers were later considered the favorites to win the NBA title.
During the regular season, after beginning the year 18–3, the Lakers were afflicted by numerous injuries and stumbled into some 56–26 record to finish the season with the second seed in the Western Convention.
The Lakers breezed beyond their ancestral competition, the Houston Rockets, headlining a matchup between Shaquille O’Neal and a young Yao Ming, beating the squad 4-1 but then dropped the first two games in their series against the Spurs prior to a dramatic comeback which saw them win 4–2. [3] Subsequently they faced league MVP Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers won the series 4–2. [4]

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